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Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee, 09 Jun 2009

09 Jun 2009 · S3 · Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee

Item of business

Climate Change (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

Stevenson, Stewart SNP Banff and Buchan Watch on SPTV

Amendments 154, 155, 156 and 161 seek to strengthen the bill by introducing a new obligation to produce and update an action plan on renewable heat. At around 1.4 per cent of demand, current renewable heat use in Scotland is minimal and needs to increase significantly if we are to meet our target of producing 20 per cent of Scotland's total energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020.We are well aware of the challenge of increasing the uptake of renewable heat in Scotland. However, we are prepared to face up to it and the renewable heat action plan will provide a focus for our various actions to develop, grow and promote the sector. By strengthening the bill in this way, we will ensure that the policy remains under scrutiny during the important period of early growth leading to the expansion that is necessary to meet European 2020 renewable energy targets and to play a part in reducing carbon emissions.Turning to Mr Gibson's amendments, I am content to support amendment 155A, which seeks to introduce a requirement for the renewable heat action plan to set targets and to describe how those targets will be reported on. Amendment 254 seeks to require Scottish ministers to make a statement on the renewable heat action plan when it is laid before the Parliament. As that is in line with other provisions in the bill, I am content to support it.Amendments 239 and 240, which have been lodged by Iain Smith on behalf of the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee, seek to require ministers to prepare a plan about the promotion of renewable heat. I agree that the best way to do that is to put a duty on Scottish ministers to prepare and publish an action plan for the promotion of renewable heat. However, given that our amendments 154, 155, 156 and 161 seek to achieve the same outcome but articulate things in greater detail by, for example, creating stronger links between the energy efficiency and renewable heat action plans, I hope that Mr Smith will recognise that amendments 239 and 240 are probably unnecessary and agree not to move them.Amendment 270, in the name of Ms Boyack, seeks to require Scottish ministers to introduce renewable heat targets. The targets are defined in the amendment as"the number of renewable heat systems installed in Scotland"at a specified date. Subsection (3) of the new section that the amendment would insert requires that Scottish ministers take steps to meet the targets,"including by requiring local authorities to set objectives for promoting renewable heat in their areas."Under the Scottish Government's concordat with local government, it is for local authorities to determine how the money that is made available to them is spent to fulfil their statutory duties and to deliver the agreed outcomes in their single outcome agreements. By focusing on outcomes and removing substantial bureaucracy, that approach simplifies the delivery of government for the benefit of people and communities in Scotland. Amendment 270 runs counter to that by taking a prescriptive approach to local authorities, so I cannot support it.Ministers agree that a renewable heat target is needed, but we do not agree that it should be set in respect of the number of renewable heat systems that are installed by a specified date. It is better to designate a target share for the contribution of renewable heat to energy consumption from renewables by 2020 than to specify the number of systems that must be installed. That is in line with the European Commission's commitment to increase the share of renewable energy to 20 per cent of final European Union energy consumption by 2020.Although we are broadly supportive of what Sarah Boyack seeks to achieve through amendment 270, we believe that amendments 155A and 254, in the name of Rob Gibson, already cover the need for targets and reporting, and that they do so in a way that does not cut across the concordat with local government and local government's responsibilities. For the reasons that I have set out, I cannot recommend support for amendment 270.I move amendment 154.

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Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee, 09 Jun 2009

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